The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-04-02
PALATKA'S PROGRESS.
Smarte>t City in fIHridss-lts Great Hore
the Putnam House.

snIarte>t City in fIarida-1ts Great Hotel.
the Putnam House.
Chicago Hotel Reporters Correspondent
JACKSONVILLE. FLA, March %, 1887.
On my return from the Indian River
country stopped off at Palatka, as IA
convenient and agreeable break" in the
journey from Rockledge to st. Angus
tine NV last visit To Palatka was made
three years ago. since which time nearly
the whole business portion of the city,
and all the principal hotels. have been
consumed 10y fire. Although this de
structive confiagration occurred less than
two years ago, nearly every vestige of
its ravaSes has disappeared, and the new
Palatka of to-day is by far the handsom-
est and ''smartest city III Florida
All the stores and business blocks are
of brick, and every new editice bears the
stamp of prosperity and thrift. The new
Putnam House, erected on the site of
the old one. il "A fine hotel-much finer.
indeed than / expected to see, and, in
many respects. the most attractive and
''homelike hotel i'm the State. The ro-
tunda is especially pleasing to the eye and
thoroughly comfortable as well as at
tractive. Ii is finished i'm natural woods,
the handsome ''curly pine OF Florida
predJminating, i'm the form of massive
pillars supporting huge rafters. all high
ly polished. and presenting an APPEAR
ance at once unique and attractive.
The decoration of the walls, windows
and ceilings of this and other public
rooms in the Putnam House are very
beautiful and decidedly unique, and are
certainly deserving of more than passing
mention. Suspended from the pine
rafters in the rotunda are hundreds of
yards of evergreen ropes and numerous
hanging baskets, besides "A few Chinese
lanterns of large size. At the windows
are small hanging baskets filled with
ferns and numerous vases ON bracket
shelves, similarly filed. Over the win
dOws in the grand parlor and ladies re-
ceptiOn room there are decorations com
posed of highly colore'l autumn leaves.
ferns and creeping vines. in the form and
taking the place of lambrequins. Over
the doors i'm these rooms cat-'o-nine tails
have been placed with their long narrow
leaves carefully pressed and admirably
preserved.
At one end of the parlor there is fast
ened to the wall a novel representation
of a huge urn made of moss, and this urn
is filled with ferns and other green
plants. There is also "A horseshoe made
of moss about which creeping ferns are
deftly twined. The long dining room,
one of the largest and finest i'm Florida.
is decorated entirely with Chinese and
Japanese fans and umbrellas. There are
fully "A thousand of them, in every form
and color known. and they are most ar
tistically grouped and arranged. All
this decorative work. which, by the way,
l have described very imperfectly, is the
result Of the handiwork. skill. originality
and genius of Mrs. Oscar G.. Barron. wife
of the hotel.
Mrs. Barron knew that Florida pos
sessed not the ferns and evergreens and
plants wherewith to fashion these novel
decorations. and she brought them with
her from the white Mountains of New
Hampshire; and by their Use she has
made the otherwise bare walls Of the
Putnam House so beautiful and attrac-
tive that her skillful handrwork has be
come the chief topic of conversation
among all the thousands of tourists who
have visited Palatka this season.
The Putnam House Is doing a very
heavy business and is universally spoken
| of a. one of the brst hotels i'm Florida.
Mr.. Barron gives the management his
| undivided time and attention. and Is
| mos. ably assisted by his two clerks.
Messsrs. III. b. Warden and Geo. III.
l Thorn.